Volkswagen has revealed it will launch a new Golf cabriolet in 2011.
The new model, confirmed by VW Group boss Martin Winterkorn on a trip to VW's Osnabrück plant, will come with a folding soft-top to set it apart from the folding hard-top Eos coupe-cabriolet already in VW's range.
VW hasn't offered a Golf cabriolet since the third-generation Golf, a model that continued to be sold alongside the fourth-generation car until 2002 with some styling changes taken from the updated car.
The Golf's folding fabric roof is expected to be borrowed from the Audi A3 cabriolet, with which the Golf shares a platform.
Read more on the revised VW Eos, set for a LA show launch
The announcement of the Golf cabriolet has led to speculation that the Eos's days may be numbered in VW's range, given the current trend of firms looking to cut the weight of their cars. BMW's next 3-series convertible, for example, will switch back to a fabric roof from the retractable hard-top currently used.
But VW insists it remains "fully committed" to the Eos and has recently revised the car. This will be revealed at the LA motor show later this month and brings its styling in line with the rest of the VW range.
No pricing details for the Golf cabriolet have been revealed, but expect it to come in below the £20,000 charged from entry-level Eos and A3 cabriolet models at around £18,000. The car will be in UK showrooms in time for summer 2011, with an engine line-up mirroring the rest of the Golf range.
